Merry and Bright

In these shortest of days and darkest of nights, my three little trees light up at dusk. So do the timed candles in every window. Over the weekend, I filled my house with red ribbons, shiny things, and reminders of my faith. The latter are in the form of little nativity sets from around the […]

Finding Balance

There are at least two kinds of balance. The first, basic physical balance has been a problem lately. The nice folks at physical therapy have documented quite thoroughly that mine is not what it should be. First I didn’t do well on the exercises and walking tests, then they tested my vestibular system, aka the […]

British Gentlemen and Their Umbrellas

Jude Knight joins us this week with some facts behind the fiction in her novel, A Gift to the Heart. One of the iconic television series of my youth was a British espionage television series called The Avengers, staring Patrick McNee—bowler hatted, in a smart business suit, and armed with an umbrella, which he uses […]

Shorter Days, More Reading

The time change fell on us last weekend. Either I need to hit the ground early every day or learn to work in my office after dark. Why don’t I usually work in the evening? I have to close the blinds on the nine windows that surround me, and I miss the light and view […]

Beginnings

Is this crisp weather we’re having here in the urban wilds the end of summer or the beginning of winter? We went from one to the other rather abruptly. Meanwhile, Bluestocking Belles and Friends are looking at the very end of a project, the day Love’s Perilous Road is launched into the hands of readers […]

Back to Work

I’m back at my desk, rested and energetic. If you read my newsletter that went out yesterday, you will have read that I feel like my writing picked up speed this summer until it is almost back to normal. Since I got back I did a final edit on Well Done, Harry for the Winter […]

Time for a Rest

I have company this week, and, if I’m not precisely resting, at least I’m taking a break from writing. A good friend has come to stay and we’ve been running around like loons. One day, Cape May and a hike at the Nature Conservancy, plus seafood dinner. One day, off to Boscov’s the last of […]

Working Hard

I write this on Labor Day and I am reminded that labor comes in many forms. It be done with hands, with shovels, with machinery, with cloth, with muscle, with mind, or even with a keyboard. However it occurs, it should be done lovingly and with pride. I’m a believer in Lincoln’s statement that capital […]

Hitting Milestones

One down and one to go in my parade of novellas. “Well Done, Harry” went to the editor Friday. To get it there I had to consolidate comments from my beta readers***, edit it, add an author’s note and my bio, and proof it word by word. For that last step, I’m now using the […]